Braid-machine.



PATENTBD APR. 18, 1905.

C. KLEIN.

BRAID MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 2, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

w .52M JM PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

C. KLEIN BRAID MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 2, 1902.

3 SHEETS-511221 2.

umnififll Patented April 18, 1905.

CHARLES KLEIN, OF BROOKLYN, NElV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO T BRAID COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEXV YORK.

BRAlD-VIACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,383, dated April 18, 1905. Application tiled August 2. 1902. Serial No. 118,152.

Be it known that l, OHARLns KLEIN, a citizen ot the United States, residing in the city ot' New York, in the borough ot' Brooklyn and g State ot New York, haveinvented certain new and uset'ul Improvements in Braid-Machines, ot' which the following is a t'ull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to braid-machines,

the object being to provide a machine capable ot fabricating a tubular braid in accordance with a process wherein the selvages ot' an ordinary tlat braid are sewed or looped together to produce the tubular formation.

A further object otl the invention is to provide a machine for making' a tubular braid ot' the character described which after the tube is opened by the removal ot' the thread which joins its edges a liat braid is produced whose edges are parallel, but run in a zigzag or undulating direction.

These objects are accomplished in a braidmachine wherein the braid is formed around and upon a cylindrical spindle to which the shed leads and which contains a supplemental raceway intercepting the two ends ot' the main raceway t'or supplemental spindles, which carry threads tor uniting the selvages ot the braid around the cylindrical spindle to form the tube. The machine also embodies means tor imparting a slight rotary or twisting motion to the spindle at predetermined intervalsl and to various extents in accordance with the pattern, whereby the wales formed by the braided threads or strands are deflected laterally to and fro and a tubular braid produced in which the wales and the selvages while extending in a general longii tudinal direction are given a zigzag' or und ulating direction, which 1s retained atter the tube is opened and pressed out liat in the commereial forni.

The invention also eomprehends a device t'or forcing the tubular braid otll the spindle tast it is formed, this being accomplished by pushing instead ot' much as a pull on the braid only serves to tighten its grip on the spindle.`

The details ot' the invention will be fully pulling, inasl machine.

described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichf Figure 1 isa plan ot' a portion ot' a braid-machine litted with the improvements. Fig. Q is a similar plan with the Lipper part otl the machine, including the shed and spindles, removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the Fig. l is a sido elevation thereot` with parts in dotted lines and other parts rc- Inoved forclearness. Figs. and 6 are plans of two pattern-cams. Fig. 7 is a perspective ot' the tubular braid as it comes from the niachine, and Fig. 8 is a plan ot' the same braid opened out tlat andin commercial torni.

The racc-plate of an ordinary braid-machine is indicated by A and contains an ordinary undulating intersecting endless slot c for the several spindles which carry the threads or strands. These spindles are driven by the usual gears (shown in dotted lines in Fig. L1,) and they travel back and Yt'orth through the racc from one end, f1', to the other, ff. These spindles operating in the wellknown manner would t'orm an ordinary straight flat braid at the point c, where the threads ot' the shed converge. ,In the present instance there is arranged in the center ot' the machine a vertical cylindrical spindle (l, to which the threads ot' the shed lead, and the race-plate is provided with a supplemental l-[E CASTLE endless slot 1, which crosses itselt' at M and 8O which intersects the two ends a and a? of the main race. 1n this slot il are a number ot' spools j", which are driven by special gearing and which carry threads f independent of the main shed, but lead to the central spindle (Z. The braid is formed around the spindle. its edges being' brought close together and se cured to each other by means ot' the threads j", which are caused to interloop with the selvages and cross and recross each other between the same, as shown in Fig. 7, thus forming a closed tubular braid. ln order to strip the tubular braid Ytrom the spindle as t'ast as it is made, it is necessary to push it ott' from below, because a pull on the braid causes its threads to grip the spindle and cling` to it. l therefore place upon the spindle immediately beneath the apex ot' the shed a scmicircular block g, which is carried'upon the up` per end of a push-rod g', mounted in bearings in a bracket g2. A spring g3 tends normally to hold the block in its lowermost position; but at regular intervals it is forced upward against the apex of the shed and the lower end of the tubular braid to force it off the spindle by a bell-crank lever ZL, pivoted at L/ and operated by an eccentric h2 and rod h3. The eccentric is on any suitable shaft of the machine and driven through any suitable gearing from the main source of power. The tubular braid is therefore pushed off the end of the spindle as fast as it is fabricated.

It is well known that certain machines have been invented for the purpose of making a tubular lace by sewing the edges of the lace together with an extra thread; but such machines do not involve the stripping apparatus described herein, since the same is only necessary in the manufacture of tubular braid or other tubular fabrics whose threads are so/ laid as not to permit of easily pushing them from the spindle.

The reason for producing a tubular braid is to make possible .the production of a flat braid having irregularly undulating parallel edges and whose body portions are set alternately on opposite sidesl of a central line. This is easily accomplished in a tubular braid by twisting or oscillating the tube at such intervals and to such degrees as will produce a particular pattern of this general character. In order to give this twist to the braid, I provide for partially rotating the spindle CZ, and the braid being tightly gripped thereon is twisted with the spindle.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the lower end of the spindle CZ carries a pinion CZ', which is engaged by a rack-bar c'. The rack-bar slides in bearings j j' and carries at one end a roller t, which bears against the periphery of a rotating cam 7c. This cam is driven in any suitable manner through gearing from the source of power of the machine; but', as shown, it is on the same shaft as a worm-wheel Z, driven by a worm Z. The rack-bar z' is surrounded by a spring 2, which moves the wheel c into contact with the cam. The cam is a pattern, various forms of which may be used. In general it consists of a disk having one or more projections lc on its periphery, which may be spaced apart or arranged in groups in anydesired manner, in accordance with the pattern of braid to be produced. Fig. 5 shows acam capable of producing a braid of the pattern shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The two offset or wave-like formations in Fig. 8 correspond to the two projections L" of Fig. 5. When the machine is in motion, the projections k of the cam and the spring "Z2 cause the rack-bar to reciprocate, which imparts a corresponding rotary motion to the spindle CZ and the tubular braid at its upper en d.

This diverts the upper ends of all of the threads of the shed as well as the threads f laterally and causes the wales of the braid to be formed temporarily in an oblique or spiral direction around the spindle, as seen in Fig. 7, which formation remains permanently in the flat braid after the thread f' is removed. It is obvious that various other ways may be adopted for imparting the rotary movement to the central spindle, and consequently the invention is not limited to the particular means shown.

It is noted that the braid in its tubular form may become the commercial article and that by making the main race L endless instead of giving it the ends a e2 a tubular braid can be formed without the aid of the threads f. The invention therefore extends to a machine capable of producing a tubular braid with the undulating wales extending longitudinally, which with different colors becomes an ornamental commercial article. The twisting of the central spindle is therefore not limited to the making of tubular braid which is to be opened and pressed flat.

Having described my invention, I claimg l. In a braid-machine, the combination of a race-plate and spools which run therein, a central spindle around and upon which the braid is formed and means for imparting an oscillatory or twisting movement to the spindle at intervals, for the purpose described.

2. In a braid-machine, the combination of a I race-plate and spools therein, of a central spindle around and upon which the braid is fabricated in tubular form, and a pusher located beneath the apex of the shed for stripping the tubular braid from the spindle.

3. In a braid-machine, a race-plate having a main race therein, spools adapted to travel back and forth from end to end in said race, a supplemental race intercepting the ends of the main race and spools adapted to travel therein, a central spindle around and upon which the braid is formed, and means for oscillating said spindle, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a braid-machine, arace-plate provided with a main race and a supplemental race intercepting the ends of the main race, spools traveling in the respective races, a central spindle around and upon which the braid is formed, and apusher located beneath the apex of the shed and adapted to strip the braid from the spindle.

In a braiding-machine, the combination of a main race carrying spools for the body of the braid, a supplemental race carrying spools for binding the edges of the braid together, means for fabricating the braid in tubular form and means for twisting the braid while being fabricated.

6. In a braiding-machine, the combination of a race-plate, a main and a supplemental race therein, two sets of spools for the respective races, a central spindle to which the shed leads and around and upon which a tubular braid is formed, means f'or twisting the central spindle and a pattern for determining the extent and time ofl the twisting', substantially as described.

T. In a braiding-machine, the combination of' a race-plate, a main and a supplemental race therein, two sets ofl spools f'or the respective races, a central spindle to which the shed leads and around and upon which a tubular braid is formed, a pinion on the central spindle, a rack engaging' said pinion and a rotating' patterncam adapted to move said rack, substantially as described.

S. In amachine for forming a tubularbraid, the combination ofl traveling' carriers for the threads` a braid-forming mandrel or fing'er, a race in which the carriers are adapted to travel, the said race having' terminal loops adapted for the formation of' a flat braid, and means f'or producing' relative movement of' rotation between the braid-forming mandrel or finger and the terminal points of' the race and means f'or securing the edg'es of' the flat braid tog'ether tor forming a tubular braid, whereby there will be formed a tubular braid having selvag'e edges ofl a general undulating or wavy f'orm bound together.

9. In a machine for forming a tubular braid, the combination of' an organism constructed and arrang'ed to produce a flat braid, the said organism comprising' in its structure a braidforming mandrel or fing'er and means Vfor producing' a relative movement of' rotation between the mandrel or finger and other part-s of' the machine, and means for binding the,

edges of' the flat braid together for forming a tubular braid.

I0. In a machine for forming a tubular braid, the combination of means for forming a flat braid having' selvag'e edges of a general undulating f'orm, including a braid-forming' mandrel or finger and means for rotating the same, and means operating simultaneously with the braiding devices during the production of' the flat braid for binding' the edges of the fiat braid tog'ether for forming a tubular braid.

I1.' In a machine adapted to form a tubular braid, with undulating ribs, the combination of a flat braider combined with a rotary guiding device for a tubular braid and means for converting the flat braid into a tubular braid during its process of' formation, whereby a braid with matched wavy selvage edges is formed.

17. A braiding-machine comprising in its structure a flat braider, including a device for forming guiding and twisting a braid during' its process of' formation, and means for binding' together the edges of the flat braid while the same is being' formed.

13. In a braiding-machine the combination of' a Hat b aider, including' means for forming a wavy braid having' matched wavy, selvage edges, and means for throwing a thread Afor binding' together the said selvage edges when the same are being' formed.

14. In a braiding organism the combination of' a device for forming a braid with matched wavy selvage edges, and means for binding' together the said selvage edges during the process of' formation of' the said selvage edges.

l5. In a braidingorganism, the combination of` a guiding-finger provided with means for imparting an intermittent movement of' rotation thereto, braiding' devices for producing a braid having' selvagc edges and means operating in harmony with the braiding' devices f'or binding' the selvages of' the braid together.

16. Ina braidingorganism, the combination of braiding devices including means for prod ucing a wavy braid having matched wavy selvages and a tln'cad-carriercooperating therewith, and means 'for imparting'thereto a movement such as to interweave its thread into the selvages ot' the braid.

17. In a braidingorg'anisrn, the combination of' braiding devices for producing' a braid having matched, wavy sclvages and a thread-carrier operating in harmony with the braiding' devices to bind the selvag'es ofl the braid together.

In witness whereof' I subscribe my signature in presence ofl two witnesses.

` CHARLES KLEIN. ll'ritncsses:

IVM. A. RosENBAUM, FRANK S. Olsen. 

